Growing Up Hawkeye: Another Avenger Story
by Shorty22133
Summary: (SPOILERS FOR ENDGAME) Takes place immediately after Infinity War. Lila Barton's world is about to change in a huge way. Her family is gone. How far is she willing to go to get them back?
1. Chapter 1

Growing up Hawkeye: Another Avenger story

(SPOILERS FOR ENDGAME) Takes place immediately after Infinity War. Lila Barton's world is about to change in a huge way. Her family is gone. How far is she willing to go to get them back?

Chapter 1: The Snap

Today was going to be a good day for Lila Barton. She just knew it because today was her eleventh birthday. She'd wiped the sleep from her eyes, threw her covers aside and hopped out of bed, her bare feet slapping across the hardwood floor as she scrambled down the stairs following the scent of fresh cooked waffles to the kitchen where her parents and brothers were waiting for her. By the time she made it to the kitchen her eyes landed on a silver banner that read Happy Birthday, pink and purple streamers strung from the ceiling, balloons and confetti scattered around the living room leading into the kitchen.

"Happy Birthday, Lila," her family yelled and Lila's smile only grew further. She certainly did not expect this.

"Thanks!" Lila then hugged both parents and her brothers before being ushered into the kitchen to sit down and devour the plate of waffles that sat before her. After breakfast, it was time for presents. She wasn't sure what she was going to get, but she was excited as the first present was placed in front of her from her oldest brother, Cooper. It was small and wrapped in newspaper with a pink ribbon and ripping off the wrapping revealed a small box. Inside the box was a black beaded necklace with what looked like a white arrowhead pendant, no doubt because of her love of archery like her father. "I love it. Thank you." She crossed the small distance to give her brother a hug…whether or not he actually wanted a hug from his sister was a different story, and laughter filled the room as Lila hugged him anyway.

The next present was also small and wrapped in a sheet of red construction paper from her youngest brother, Nathaniel and upon opening it she discovered what appeared to be some sort of animal crafted rather crudely out of clay but Lila loved it anyway. It was priceless and she crossed the small distance to Nathaniel and hugged him too.

"We have one more present for you." Laura spoke once Lila had returned to her spot on the couch. "It's outside."

Lila wasn't sure what her last gift was, but she was intrigued as she followed her father outside to a small table on the porch where a long black case was laid out just waiting to be opened. Her brothers and mother crowded around to see her reaction to whatever was in the case and as she opened the case, her jaw dropped. Her eyes travelled to the sleek and shiny looking bow and arrows that were tucked inside and she couldn't help but reach up and pull the new bow from its case.

"This is amazing! I love it!" Lila exclaimed and turned to hug her parents tightly. "Thank you so much! Can I try it out? Please?"

Clint was never one to deny his children of anything, so of course he said yes and Lila began dancing around in excitement. Like Clint, Lila had shown an interest in archery from an early age and took every opportunity to learn from her father to be one of the best young archers in the state. She wasn't quite as good as "Hawkeye" but was getting there and upon seeing the new bow and arrows she just couldn't wait to try it out. She loved watching Clint practice with his own bow and would sometimes have contests with him to see who was better. Clint would usually let her win, but even if she wasn't competing with Clint she still looked up to him and wanted to be the best.

It was while her brothers were playing and her mom manned the grill during lunchtime that Clint had allowed her to practice with the new bow. Clint had set up a target against a tree for her to practice with. Lila stood with her bow in her hands her arrow pulled back and aimed at the target.

"You see where you're going?" Clint asked as he studied her form.

"Uh huh," Lila answered, her eyes still on the bullseye, her arm still pulled back ready to release at a moment's notice.

"Ok. Now let's worry about how you get there." Clint slid up behind his daughter and nudged her foot, correcting her stance as she lowered the bow, turning her body slightly as he reminded her of her posture. Once satisfied he took a step back and to the side, "Okay. Are you ready?"

Nodding, she raised her bow again and took aim. She was just about to release her arrow when her mother's voice reached her ears.

"Hey! You guys want mayo or mustard or both?"

Lowering her bow again she glanced at her father. "Who puts mayo on a hot dog?"

"Your brothers." Clint simply replied as Lila's face scrunched in disgust. "Two mustard, please. Thanks mama!"

Clint turned back to Lila as she raised her bow for a third time. She focused on her training and listened to her fathers' advice as she aimed for the center of the target, finally releasing the arrow as it flew through the air and landed directly in the center of the bullseye.

"Excellent. Good Job, Hawkeye." Clint beamed giving Lila a high five and smiling at just how good of an archer she was. "Now go get your arrow."

Lila smiled to herself as she strode the few feet to the target and with a small tug freed the arrow before turning back to her father.

That's the moment that everything changed. The second her eyes landed on her father's confused face as he stared at his hand she instantly knew something was wrong.

"Dad?"

The sound of her voice caught Clint's attention for a fraction of a second as his eyes flicked between her and the rest of the family a few yards away, his eyes widening in horror as Laura and his sons turned to ash right before his eyes.

Lila followed his gaze and watched as piles of ash began to settle where her mother and brothers were just moments before and widened as she turned back to her father just in time to see his hand begin to crumble to ash and spread throughout his body until he too was nothing more than ash. For a moment she wasn't sure what to do. Tears began to form as fear crept over her. She was alone and confused. What on earth was going on?

Through her blurred vision she collapsed to the ground and stared at her hands waiting for the same fate as her family suffered to happen to her but nothing happened. Why? Her family was gone. Where did they go? Why did she survive and her family didn't.

She wasn't sure how long she had been out there, but eventually she pushed herself up off the ground and raced inside. She needed help and she knew exactly who to call. Through her blurred vison, she searched through her house to find her fathers' cell phone and scrolled through the list of contacts to find the one she was looking for and dialed. The woman on the other end sounded confused.

"Clint? Is everything ok?" When Natasha Romanoff didn't hear a reply she strained to hear what sounded like crying. It took a few deep breaths for Lila to regain her composure enough to speak.

"He's gone. " Lila sobbed. "They're all gone."

Instantly Natasha was on high alert. If Lila was calling her, what happened to Clint?

"Lila? What happened?"

"I don't know. They just sort of disintegrated into ash and vanished." Lila choked out, clutching the phone tightly, sniffling. "I don't know what to do. I'm scared."

"Hang on, sweetie. I'm coming to get you. I'll be there soon, okay." Natasha assured, getting to her feet in an instant. Hanging up, she gathered her things and raced through the Avenger compound to board a plane to Missouri where Lila was waiting for her.

Knowing that "Aunt Natasha" was coming to get Lila helped comfort her a little and she knew she just had to keep it together for a little while longer as she made her way to the couch and collapsed onto it. Lila pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs tightly as she waited for Natasha. Lila must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing she knew, Natasha was gently waking her up and Lila wrapped her arms around her Aunt almost immediately.

"I'm here." Nat crooned as she embraced Lila. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise."

And somehow Lila knew those words were true. That somehow, someway, everything was going to be okay.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading this story. It's something I thought of when I first saw Endgame and it really inspired me to get back into writing. This will be a multi-chaptered story as this story will follow the events of Endgame from Lila's POV. If all goes well, I'm already planning on making a sequel to this story featuring Lila and Peter Parker/Spiderman beginning from where Endgame ends. Let me know what you think? Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2: Moving On

Growing up Hawkeye: Chapter 2: Moving On

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It was hard for Lila to say goodbye to the house that she knew and grew up in, but she couldn't stay here. Not anymore. Her family was gone, disappearing into dust in the blink of an eye and there was nothing she could do to bring them back. She was now completely alone, a fact that she just couldn't face as she expected to hear her brothers screams and laughter from the rooms next to hers but now...nothing. No screaming for her parents as her brothers fought over toys, no yelling from her parents to remind them of dinners and bedtimes. Just silence and it was unnerving. Despite the fact that she didn't have any money, she just couldn't walk through her house without constant reminders of her family...it was just too much. She was grateful that her Aunt Natasha would give her a place to stay until she was old enough to be on her own, but that meant that she would be leaving her home. She hoped that someday she could return to this place, but the probability of her actually returning was highly unlikely.

Lila sighed as she brushed a long strand of dark hair across her shoulder and turned to look at her bag again. She had to pack and the bag that was opened on her bed was nearly full as she placed her next stack of clothes inside, piling them neatly in her bag. It was systematic and thought out as she placed item after item in her bag, but it was mostly just to keep her mind distracted otherwise she'd be a blubbering mess. When she finally packed her suitcase to the brim she closed the top and struggled with the zipper until it zipped closed, straining at just how much Lila was able to cram inside.

Beside her bag was a large cardboard box that she could take whatever belongings that she wanted back to the Avenger compound (where she would be staying at) in upstate New York. Inside the box, she placed pictures of her family, both from the past as she and her brothers grew and some more recent photos taken within the last year. Among the photos, she placed mementos like the clay animal that Nathaniel had given her for her birthday, her first arrowhead that her father had given her and books and diaries that she just couldn't live without were just some of the things that she again systematically placed into the box until she couldn't fit anything else and sealed it shut. Lila took one last look around her bedroom for any signs that she missed something, an item that she forgot to pack and when she didn't see anything else she sighed and scooped the bag and box up and headed for the door.

With her bag finally packed and the box sealed, she struggled as she carried both items down the stairs where Aunt Natasha was waiting for her.

"All packed?" Natasha asked as her eyes landed on Lila and rushed to take the box from Lila's arms, but the only response was a nod and a small smile as Natasha took the box from Lila and carried it outside toward the awaiting Quinjet. Lila took one final look around at her home and sighed, sprinting out the door as the tears threatened to fall. She stopped for just a second on the porch scooping up her new bow and arrows that had been neatly packed away in their case and followed quickly after Natasha as the two made their way onto the Quinjet. Lila couldn't hold back the tears any longer as the craft lifted off the ground and her childhood home slowly disappeared from her view.

It wasn't long before they were almost back to the Avenger compound, Lila watching as the clouds drifted past the window, Natasha flying the craft as she expertly flicked levers and switches on the dash for a moment as she turned on auto-pilot. Once set, she pushed back from the console and turned to talk to Lila who remained fairly quiet during the flight, all her previous attempts at getting her to talk had failed, so Nat wasn't expecting much as she tried again.

"Hey." Natasha spoke, brushing a strand of her now blonde hair from her face, sighing. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" She pressed on despite the silence from Lila, switching subjects that may make her talk. "You're going to love the compound. You'll have a room across the hall from mine and there's a shooting range too, that you're going to love."

Lila however didn't seem interested but Natasha didn't take it personal. She knew that losing her family was going to be tough. This was going to be a huge change for Lila and Nat just hoped that she didn't screw it up too much.

"We're going to figure out a way to get them back, Lila."

"But what if you _can't_?" Lila countered. "How do you even know that you can? They're _gone_. They turned to ash right before my eyes. There's no way you come back from something like that."

"You're right. I don't know if we'll ever be able to bring them back, but I have to believe that we will. I'll never stop trying, though. I can promise you that."

Lila wasn't convinced, but instead gave her aunt a small smile before she turned her attention back to the window. "Thank you." Natasha gave Lila a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder before returning back to the console and resuming to fly the rest of the way to the compound.

It wasn't long before the Quinjet landed at the compound and the two descended the jet to head inside. The sight of the compound was awe inspiring with it's shiny bright white walls and pristine glass, a giant "A" for the Avenger's logo plastered on the side. Lila had never expected the compound to look like this and after a few moments of taking it all in she followed her aunt inside. Inside, the place mirrored the exterior and was just as awe inspiring, the building buzzing as the few remaining agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. bustled around from one place to the next as they worked to complete whatever mission or task they were assigned before their deadline.

"Come on. I'll show you to your room." Natasha readjusted the box in her arms and nodded for Lila to follow her down the hallway to the right and Lila followed. She continued to follow Natasha through the halls (she was never going to remember the layout) slowing as a figure approached the two of them. She recognized him as her "Uncle Steve" although she'd only met him once a few years ago when her dad's friends stayed at the house for a few days. Lila doubted he'd remembered her, but she sure remembered him. She knew exactly who he was as she'd begun drawing Captain America pictures after he'd shown up in full Captain America gear, along with a few others that she had eventually learned were superheroes like her dad, "Uncle Thor" (Thor), "Uncle Tony" (Iron Man), "Uncle Bruce" (Hulk), and her dad's boss, "Uncle Nick" (Nick Fury) who wore an eyepatch over one eye and looked like a pirate.

"Hey Nat, got a minute?" Steve questioned as she slowed to a stop, Steve's eyes flicking between Nat and Lila, before adding, "Unless I'm interrupting something?"

"It's fine." Natasha shrugged. "I was just showing Lila here to her room." The girl seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it until Nat added, "Clint's daughter."

It only took a second for recognition to light his face up. Of course he would remember, Lila Barton. Clint and Steve would have long talks about Lila as Clint reminisced about what new thing Lila did, or said. Clint loved his daughter, so when Steve finally met Lila it was hard to not forget her. She was an amazing little girl and such a talented young woman. Steve grinned and he turned to Lila. "That's it. I remember you. Nice to see you again, Lila."

"Nice to see you too, Uncle Steve," Lila responded smiling slightly as she pushed her hair from her face and quietly adjusted the bag in her one hand, her arrow case in the other. "My dad used to talk about you sometimes."

"He did?" Steve questioned, throwing Nat a confused look. "Good things I hope?"

Steve didn't miss the way she ducked her head when she spoke of her dad, Clint, and it wasn't until Natasha explained did Steve fully understand what Lila was doing in the compound.

"Clint didn't make it," Natasha replied solemnly, "compliments of Thanos."

Natasha spat out Thano's name with a hint of anger and although Lila didn't know who this Thanos character was, by the tone of Nat's voice it wasn't too hard to guess it was all Thano's fault that Lila's family was all dead. Steve understood immediately and his stomach dropped, a sad smile graced his features and he shook his head.

"I'm so sorry about your family. Your parents were one of the nicest people I've ever met. Clint sure saved my life a dozen times too. It's a shame that he's gone. I can only imagine what you're going through." Steve offered his sympathies, but it just didn't feel like it was enough. "If you need anything, anything at all, just let me know."

"Thank you." Lila replied, her voice soft as she ducked her head again.

"Come on," Natasha interjected, shifting the box she had in her hands before handing it off to Steve as he offered to carry it and Lila's bag and she too passed him the bag. Placing Natasha's arm around Lila's shoulder, she ushered Lila along. "Let's get you all settled in."

And together the three of them, Steve included, continued down the hall to Lila's new room.

* * *

A/N: So what do you think? I know the first few chapters are going to be a bit different as Lila now adjusts to living with Natasha and the rest of the Avengers. The next chapter may have a bit of a time jump since a few chapters happen during the 5 years after Thano's snap. I'm also eagerly awaiting the release of Endgame, so I can write more once I've watched it a few more times…LOL! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and alerted… it means a lot.

This chapter was a bit difficult for me to write. For those of you who do not know, I lost my father in June 2013 to Stage IV cancer. We thought we'd have 6 months with him…we only got 5 weeks and he was gone. It was very fast and sudden. It took us totally by surprise. It took a while for myself and my family to go through his things and put them away, so a lot of how Lila is dealing with her family's death is very similar to me dealing with my father's passing. Before my dad passed away, I used to write stories all the time, but once he was gone, suddenly my writing didn't seem as important anymore and I basically stopped writing all together. It wasn't until I saw Endgame (about a month or so ago) that it really inspired me to start writing again, so I apologize if my writing isn't the greatest. Me struggling to get back into writing is very similar to what Lila is going to struggle with as she attempts to get back into archery as both her and myself struggle with dealing with painful memories associated with each thing. It's going to be a struggle, but it'll be a great story once I'm done with it. Until next time!


	3. GrowingUpHawkeye-Chapter3

Growing up Hawkeye: Chapter 3- Arrival

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Lila supposed that everything would return to normal eventually...I guess as normal as it could ever be now that half the population was gone. Her family was gone and the only family she still had left were superheroes. Which was actually a good thing considering her world was about to change once again.

Living in the Avenger compound was nice. She had her own bedroom and bathroom down the hall from where the Avengers common area was and not too terribly far from Aunt Natasha either. She enjoyed being close enough that if Lila needed Nat that she was able to get to her Aunt quickly, but was far enough away to have some semblance of privacy. Lila's room was a decent size and very modern with bright white furniture amidst grey walls and although Lila wasn't too thrilled with the furniture, she'd sighed and accepted it. At least for now. She was sure her Aunt would allow her to decorate however she wanted, but she wasn't quite ready for that. Being able to decorate and make the space her own would only further cement the reality that she would most likely never make it back to her "home"...and that her family really wasn't coming back. This was her home now and she had to accept that...but today was not that day.

Lila tore her eyes from her book as she sat on her bed to scan around the room when she felt the tiniest of vibrations through the floor increasing to a small rumble. For a moment she thought that she was experiencing her first earthquake. But do they really have earthquakes in New York? She didn't think so as she could hear panicked voices outside her bedroom and quickly bolted out the door to find her Aunt and Uncle Steve already heading for the nearest elevator. Clearly something was going on.

"What's going on?" Lila questioned quickening her pace to keep up.

Natasha Romanoff glanced at her niece not slowing down one bit. "I don't know."

"But we're about to find out." Steve added as he jabbed the button for the elevator and the doors opened with a ding.

By the time the trio made it to the lobby, Rhodes, Pepper Potts and Bruce Banner were already there and together the six of them exited the building and headed out on to the lawn.

Standing in the field a light wind caused a chill that had Lila pulling her sweatshirt closer around her as they scanned the clear night sky for the source of the rumbling. They didn't have to search long as they finally saw a light getting brighter and brighter as it approached the Avenger compound. By the time the light was close enough to make out what it was, The sight they saw nearly made Lila's heart stop. A large ship, much like the Quinjet, appeared to be landing on the lawn, a bright ball of light shining underneath as it landed. It wasn't until the light faded that they saw a woman had guided the ship to the ground. Clearly this woman had powers, but whether she was a friend or enemy Lila didn't know.

The ship began to open and two figures appeared, One figure being her uncle Tony Stark, and the other a blue skinned figure a mix between human and robot. Lila wasn't quite sure of this newcomer, so she kept her distance for now.

As soon as her Uncle Steve saw Tony, he rushed to him and allowed Tony to lean on him for support. It had been weeks since anyone had heard from him and he was obviously weak from lack of food.

"I couldn't stop _him_." Tony spoke, a hint of sadness lacing his words as they walked.

"Neither could I." Steve admitted before being pulled to a stop.

"I lost the kid." Tears welled in Tony's eyes and Steve's face softened. Clearly Tony's loss had affected not just him, but the entire team.

"Tony..._**We**_ lost."

Before Tony could really process the gravity of Steve's statement he was pulled into a hug by Pepper and Tony nearly began to cry. With all the loss the team had suffered, Tony was grateful that he hadn't lost everything. It wasn't long before the small group headed back inside.

After a quick medical evaluation from Bruce, Tony sat in the kitchen area trying to get up to speed on everything that had happened between the time everyone had been "_snapped_" (as they were now calling it) and now. Lila was busy in the kitchen making some soup for her uncle as he hadn't eaten in days. She'd scooped some into a bowl and quickly brought it out to her uncle, placing it in front of him.

"Thanks, kid." Tony picked up his spoon and brought a mouthful to his lips. "What's your name?"

"Lila Barton." Lila answered, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear nervously.

"Barton, Huh?" Tony questioned as he took another bite.

"Clint's daughter." Natasha interrupted as she leant up against a table from across the room, her arms folded across her chest.

"Where is Clint?"

"Gone." Lila answered and Tony sighed before giving a small sad smile.

"I'm sorry. He was a good man, your father."

"Thanks." Lila muttered and took a few steps back as Rhodes placed a small holographic machine on the table and the faces of their snapped team lit up the room.

"It's been 23 days since Thanos came to earth," Rhodes began, Tony studying all the faces, some he knew. Some not so much. Among those snapped were Lila's Father, Clint Barton, Doctor (and magician) Steven Strange, Steve's childhood friend "Bucky" Barnes, SHIELD director Nick Fury, and at least a dozen or more names. Tony's eyes welled as a picture of a kid, not more than sixteen, appeared, his name listed as Peter Parker. This must have been the "_kid_" Tony had mentioned to Steve when he first arrived.

"World governments are in pieces," Aunt Natasha interjected as the photos scrolled, "the parts that are still working are trying to take a census, and it looks like he did exactly what he said he was going to do. Thanos wiped out 50% of all living creatures."

For a few moments the room fell silent as this new info was sinking in. Lila wasn't sure what to think. Fifty percent of all living creatures were gone in a blink of an eye. All vanishing exactly the way her family did. What did that mean for the rest of them?

"Where is he now?" Tony questioned as he finished his soup and glanced around the room for an answer.

"We don't know. He just opened a portal and walked through." Steve confessed sadly. "We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now, deep space scans and satellites, and we got nothing. Tony, you fought him-"

"No I didn't." Tony defended, from his seat at the table, "he wiped my face with a Planet while the Bleaker Street magician gave away the stone. There was no fight."

"Did he give you any clues, coordinates, _anything_?" Steve tried again to placate him, but his words only seemed to anger Tony more, scoffing at his words.

"You know, I saw this coming a few years back. I had a vision. Thought I was dreaming because I didn't want to believe it, but she was right. She told me that the vision was real and that it would happen."

"Who's she? And what was the vision?" Natasha asked.

"Doesn't matter. The point is that I needed you." Tony snapped staring at Steve. "That trumps what you need. It's too late, Buddy. Sorry. You know what I _need_? I need you to listen because I believe I remember telling all of you that what we needed is a suit of armor around the world. Remember that?"

Tony stood and yanked the IV that Bruce had set up out of his arm, standing shakily with the effort.

"Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not. That's what we **_needed_**."

"Well, that didn't work out." Steve sighed remembering the horrible fallout from Ultron as Tony had attempted to create an Iron Legion of AI operated iron men to protect from alien threats. Ultron was eventually defeated despite the massive Sokovia disaster and the restrictions set in place from the accords that followed drove the team apart. Steve and Tony's relationship was never quite the same after that as Tony signed the accords and Steve had refused.

"I said we'd lose. You said we'd do that together, too. Guess what, Cap. We **_lost_** and you weren't there. But that's what we do. Our best work after the fact? We're the "_**Avengers**_". Not the pre-vengers? Right?"

Coronial Rhodes had enough of Tony's outrageous and erratic behavior and attempted to calm Tony down, but only seemed to piss Tony off more and he pushed past his friend to come face to face with Captain America.

"I got nothing for you cap. No coordinates. No clues. No strategies. No options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust. Liar." Tony spat, but Steve didn't flinch. Perhaps it was because Tony's words had shocked him or perhaps he knew Tony wasn't a real threat as he stood his ground, that Steve stood against Tony's wrath unwavering. Tony then did the unthinkable and ripped the glowing emblem from his chest that served no other purpose but to house his Iron man suit built with nanotechnology and shoved it in Steve's hand. "Here. Take this. When you find him, put that on and hide."

By this point, Tony had reached his limit and collapsed from exhaustion, his body crumbling to the ground unconscious. Whatever happened with this Thanos person and Tony had clearly spooked him. From what Lila could tell Thanos was a very powerful person and she wasn't so sure that they would be able to defeat them if they were to battle him again. If Tony Stark couldn't beat Thanos, who could?


End file.
